Night World : Huntress Chapter 4

Rule Number unmatchable of living with humans. Always wash the blood saturnine before coming in the house.Jez stood at the issuedoor faucet, icy-cold water splashing over her hands. She was scrubbing- carefully-along, slim dagger made of split bamboo, with a cutting saltation as sharp as glass. When it was clean, sheslipped it into her right knee-high boot. Then she daubed water over several stains on her T-shirt andjeans and scrubbed them with a fingernail. Finally she whipped pop a pocket mirror and examined herface critically.The girl who looked ski binding didnt much resemble the wild, laughing huntress who had leaped from tree totree in Muir Woods. Oh, the features were the same the height of cheekbone, the toot of chin. Theyhad even fined out a bit because she was a year older. The red flag of whisker was the same, too, althoughnow it was pulled back in an attempt to tame its blinking(a) disorder. The difference was in the expression,which was sadder and wiser than Jez had ever imagined she could be, and in the eyes.The eyes werent as silvery as they had been, not as sternly beautiful. But that was only to beexpected. She had notice that she didnt pick out to drink blood as long as she didnt use her vampirepowers. Human food kept her alive-and made her look more human.One early(a) thing about the eyes. They were scarily vulnerable, even to Jez. No matter how she tried tomake them hard and menacing, they had the wounded look of a deer that bashs its deprivation to die andaccepts it. Some successions she wondered if that was an omen.Well. No blood on her face. She shoved the mirror back in her pocket. She was mostly presentable, ifextremely late for dinner. She turned the faucet move out and headed for the back door of the low, sweepingranch house.Everyone looked up as she came in.The family was in the kitchen, eating at the oak table with the white trim, downstairs the bright fluorescentlight. The TV was blaring cheerfully from the family room. Uncle Jim, her mothers brother, was munchingtacos and leafing through the mail. He had red hair darker than Jezs and a long face that looked almostas medieval as Jezs mothers had. He was usually off in a gentle, worried dream somew here(predicate). Now hewaved an envelope at Jez andgazed at her reproachfully, nevertheless he couldnt prescribe anything because his express was full. aunty Nanami was on the phone, drinking a diet Coke. She was small, with dark shiny hair and eyes thatturned to crescents when she smiled. She opened her let out and frowned at Jez, but couldnt sayanything, all.Ricky, who was ten, had carroty hair and expressive eyebrows. He gave Jez a big smile that showedchewed-up taco in his mouth and said, HiJez smiled back. No matter what she did, Ricky was on that point for her.Claire, who was Jezs age, was session primly, eating bits of taco with her fork. She looked similar a smallerversion of aunt Nan, but with a very sour expression.Where have you b een? she said. We waited dinner almost an minute of arc for you and you never evencalled.Sorry, Jez said, looking at all of them. It was such an incredibly normal family scene, so completelytypical, and it struck her to the heart.It was over a year since she had walked out of the Night World to find these people, her mothers relatives. It was eleven and a half(a) months since Uncle Jim had taken her in, not knowing anything abouther except that she was his orphaned niece and that her fathers family couldnt handle her anymore andhad addicted up on her. All these months, she had lived with the Goddard family- and she politic didnt fit in.She could look human, she could act human, but she couldnt be human.Just as Uncle Jim swallowed and got his mouth clear to speak to her, she said, Im not hungry. I thinkIll simply go do my homework.Uncle Jim called, Wait a minute, after her, but it was Claire who slammed down her napkin andactually followed Jez through the hall to the other side of the house.What do you mean, Sorry? You do this every day. Youre always disappearing half the time you stayout until after midnight, and then you dont even have an explanation.Yeah, I know, Claire. Jez answered without looking back. Illtry to do better.You say that every time. And every time its exactly the same. Dont you realize that my parents worryabout you? Dont you even care?Yes, I care, Claire.You dont act akin it. You act like rules dont apply to you. And you say sorry, but youre just press release todo it again.Jez had to mention herself from turning round and snapping at her cousin. She liked everyone else in thefamily, but Claire was a royal pain.Worse, she was a shrewd royal pain. And she was right Jez was going to do it again, and on that point was noway she could explain.The thing was, vampire hunters have to keep weird hours.When youre on the trail of a vampire-and-shapeshifter killing team, as Jez had been this evening, chasingthem through the slums ofOakland , trying to get them cornered in some crack housewhere there arent teeny-weeny kids to get hurt, you dont think about missing dinner. You dont stop in themiddle of staking the undead to phone home.Maybe I shouldnt have suffer a vampire hunter, Jez thought. But its a little late to change now, andsomebodys got to protect these stupid- these innocent humans from the Night World.Oh, well.Shed reached the door of her bedroom. Instead of yelling at her cousin, she simply half turned and said,Why dont you go work on your Web page, Claire? Then she opened the door and glanced inside.And froze.Her room, which she had left in military neatness, was a shambles. The window was widely open. Papersand clothes were scattered across the ball over. And there was a very large graverobber standing at the foot of the bed.The graverobber opened its mouth menacingly at Jez.Oh, very funny, Claire was saying, right behind her. Maybe I should help you with your homework. Ihear youre not doing so great i n chemistry-Jez locomote fast, stepping nimbly inside the door and slamming it in Claires face, pressing the little knob inthe handle to lock it.Hey Now Claire sounded really mad. Thats rudeUh, sorry, Claire Jez faced the graverobber. What was it doing here? If it had followed her home, she was inbad trouble. That meant the Night Worldknew where she was. You know, Claire, I think I really need to be alone for a little while-I cant talkand do my homework. She took a step toward the creature, watching its reaction.Ghouls were semi-vampires. They were what happened to a human who was bled out but didnt getquite enough vampire blood in exchange to become a true vampire. They were undead but rotting. Theyhad very little mind, and only one idea in the world to drink blood, which they usually did by eating asmuch of a human body as possible. They liked hearts.This ghoul was a new one, about two weeks dead. It was male and looked as if it had been abody-builder, although by now it wasnt s o much buff as puffed. Its body was swollen with the gas ofdecomposition. Its tongue and eyes were protruding, its cheeks were chipmunk-like, and bloody fluidwas leaking from its nose.And of course it didnt smell good.As Jez edged closer, she suddenly realized that the ghoul wasnt alone. She could now square up virtually thefoot of the bed, and there was a male child lying on the carpet, apparently unconscious. The boy had light hairand rumpled clothes, but Jez couldnt see his face. The ghoul was stooping over him, reaching for himwith sausage-shaped fingers.I dont think so, Jez told it softly. She could feel a dangerous smile settling on her face. She reachedinto her right boot and pulled out the dagger.What did you say? Claire shouted from the other side of the door.Nothing, Claire. Just getting out my homework. Jez jumped onto the bed The ghoul was very big-sheneeded all the height she could get.The ghoul turned to face her, its lackluster bugeyes on the dagger. It made a litt le hissing sound aroundits swollen tongue. Fortunately that was all the noise it could make.Claire was rattling the door. Did you lock this? What are you doing in there?Just studying, Claire. Go away. Jez snapped a foot toward the ghoul, catching it under the chin. Sheneeded to stun it and stake it fast Ghouls werent smart, but like the Energizer Bunny they kept going andgoing. This one could eat the entire Goddard family tonight and still be hungry at dawn. The ghoul hit the wall opposite the bed. Jez jumped down, putting herself between it and the boy on thefloor.What was that noise? Claire yelled. I dropped a book.The ghoul swung. Jez ducked. There were giant blisters on its arms, the brownish color of old blood.It rushed her, trying to slam her against the chest of drawers. Jez flung herself backward, but she didnthave much room to maneuver. It caught her in the stomach with an elbow, a jarring blow.Jez wouldnt let herself double over. She twisted and helped the ghoul in the dir ection it was alreadygoing, giving it impetus with her foot. It smacked into the window seat, facedown.What is going on in there?Just looking for something. Jez moved before the ghoul could recover, jumping to straddle its legs. Shegrabbed its hair-not a good idea it came off in clumps in her hand. Kneeling on it to keep it still, sheraised the sum bamboo knife high and brought it down hard.There was a puncturing sound and a terrible smell. The knife had penetrated just under the shoulderblade, six inches into the heart.The ghoul convulsed once and stop moving.Claires voice came piercingly from behind the closed in(p) door. Mom Shes doing something in thereThen Aunt Nans voice Jez, are you all right?Jez stood, pulling her bamboo dagger out, wiping it on the ghouls shirt. Im just having a little troublefinding a ruler. The ghoul was in a perfect position. She put her arms around its waist, ignoring thefeeling of skin slipping loose under her fingers, and heaved it up onto the windo w seat. There werent many an(prenominal) human girls who could have picked up almost two hundred pounds of dead weight, and even Jezended up a little breathless. She gave the ghoul a shove, axial rotation it over until it reached the open window,then she stuffed and maneuvered it out. It fell heavily into a bed of impatiens, squashing the flowers.Good. Shed haul it away later tonight and dispose of it.Jez caught her breath, brushed off her hands, and closed the window. She drew the curtains shut, thenturned. The fair-haired boy was lying perfectly still. Jez touched his back gently, saw that he wasbreathing.The door rattled and Claires voice rose hysterically. Mom, do you smell that smell?Aunt Nan called, JezComing Jez glanced around the room. She needed something there. The bed.Grabbing a handful of material near the head of the bed, she flipped comforter, blankets and sheets overso they trailed off the foot, completely covering the boy. She tossed a couple of pillows on top of th e pile for good measure, then grabbed a ruler off the desk. Then she opened the door, leaned against the doorframe casually, and summoned her brightest smile.Sorry about that, she said. What can I do for you?Claire and Aunt Nan just stared at her.Claire looked like a rumpled, angry kitten. The fine dark hair that framed her face was ruffled she wasbreathing hard, and her almond-shaped eyes were flashing sparks. Aunt Nan looked more worried anddismayed.Are you okay? she said, leaning in slightly to try and get a look at Jezs room. We heard a lot ofnoise.And youd have heard more earlier if you hadnt been watching TV. Im fine. Im great. You know howit is when you cant find something. Jez liftedthe ruler. Then she stepped back and opened the door farther.Aunt Nans eyes widened as she took in the mess. Jez this does not happen when you cant find aruler. This looks like Claires room.Claire made a choked sound of indignation. It does not. My rooms never been this bad. And whatsthat smell? She slipped by Aunt Nan and advanced on Jez, who sidestepped to keep her from getting tothe pile of blankets.Claire stopped dead anyway, her face wrinkling. She put a hand to cover her nose and mouth. Its you,she said, pointing at Jez. You smell like that.Sorry. It was true what with all the contact shed had with the ghoul, and the dirty knife in her boot,she was pretty ripe. I think I stepped in something on the way home.I didnt smell anything when you came in, Claire said suspiciously.And thats another thing, Aunt Nan said. She had been glancing around the room, but there wasnothing suspicious to see except the unusual clutter-the curtains hung motionless over the shut windowthe pile of bedding on the floor was still. Now she turned to face Jez again. You didnt call to say youwere going to miss dinner again. I need to know where you go after school, Jez. I need to know whenyoure going to be out late. Its common courtesy.I know. Ill remember next time. I really will. Jez said it as sincerely as possible, and in a tone shehoped would close the subject. She needed to get rid of these people and look at the boy under theblankets. He might be poorly hurt.Aunt Nan was nodding. Youd better. And youd better take a shower before you do anything else.Throw your clothes in the laundry room Ill put them in the wash. She made as if to kiss Jez on thecheek, but stopped, wrinkled her nose, and then just nodded again at her.And thats it? Thats all? Claire was looking at her mother in disbelief. Mom, shes up to something,cant you see that? She comes in late, smelling like dead skunk and sewage and I dont know what, andthen she locks herself in and bangs around and lies, and all youre going to say is Dont do it again? She gets away with everything around here-Claire, quit it. She said she was sorry. Im sure she wont let it happen again.If I did something like that youd skin me, but, no, if Jez does it, it must be okay. Well, Ill enounce yousomething else. She cut school tod ay. She left before sixth period.Is that true, Jez? a new voice asked. Uncle Jim was standing in the doorway, pulling at his chin withlong fingers. He looked sad.It was true. Jez had left early to set up a trap for the vampire and shapeshifter. She looked at her uncleand made a regretful motion with her head and shoulders.Jez, you just cant do that. Im trying to be reasonable, but this is only the second week of school.You cant start this kind of behavior again. It cant be like last year. He thought. From now on, you march on your motorcycle at home. You drive to school and back with Claire, in the Audi.Jez nodded. Okay, Uncle Jim, she said out loud. Now go away, she added silently. Thin curls ofanxiety were churning in her stomach.thank you. He smiled at her.See? Claire jumped in, her voice hitting a note to shatter glass. This is just what Im talking about Younever yell at her, either Is it because youre afraid shell run away, like she did from her dads relatives?So everybody has to walk on eggshells around her because otherwise shell just take off-Okay, thats it. Im not listening to any more of this. Aunt Nan waved a hand at Claire, then turnedaround to shoo Uncle Jim out of her path. Tm going to clean up the dinner table. If you two want to fight,do it quietly.No, its better if they do their homework, Uncle Jim said, moving slowly. Both of you, do yourhomework, okay? He looked at Jez in a way that was probably meant to be commanding, but came outwistful. And tomorrow come home on time.Jez nodded. Then both adults were gone, but Claire was staring after them. Jez couldnt be sure, but shethought there were tears in her eyes.Jez felt a pang. Of course, Claire was dead on about the leeway Aunt Nan and Uncle Jim gave her. Andof course, it wasnt fair to Claire.I should say something to her. Poor little thing. She really feels bad.But before she could open her mouth, Claire whirled around. The eyes that had been wet a moment agowere flashing.You just wait, she sa id. They dont see through you, but I do. Youre up to something, and Im goingto find out what it is. And dont think I cant do it.She turned and stalked out the door. Jez stood for an instant, speechless, then she blinked and closed the door. She locked it. And then forthe first time since shed seen the ghoul, she allowed herself to let out a long breath.That had been close. And Claire was serious, which was going to be a problem. But Jez didnt have timeto think about it now.She turned the clock radiocommunication on her nightstand to a rock station. A loud one. Then she flipped the coversoff the foot of the bed and knelt.The boy was lying facedown, with one arm stretched over his head. Jez couldnt see any blood. Shetook his shoulder and carefully rolled him over.And stopped breathing.Hugh.